[00:00:00] All right, here we go. Hi, Christine Courtney here. This episode is part of our special series on offsite planning and retreat planning. So whether you're hosting one this year or maybe you're just dreaming about it, one things for sure. Storytelling has the power to completely change how people connect at your retreat.
And I don't just mean sharing stories. , You know, around the fire, the ghost stories or whatever you know, tales of woe or old times. I'm talking about using real well-told stories to spark belonging, drive purpose, and make the work feel real again. So in today's episode, I'll share why storytelling is such a powerful leadership skill and how to use it intentionally in offsite spaces, team meetings, and even in strategy sessions.
We've also [00:01:00] got an article on the website about how to choose a theme for your next retreat and how story threads that theme throughout the entire offsite experience. So be sure to check it out. All right, let's jump in.
Hello everybody. I'm Christine Courtney, your host, and today we're talking about one of my favorite subjects, the Power of Storytelling in Business. Now, of all the subjects we do and teach and go out to companies and work with, I get a lot of pushback on the use of storytelling. With a lot of businesses, they think, oh, that we're not sure about that.
That sounds like that's for kids. I don't know how our employees would use that. We are a very serious business, whatever it is, they just don't see it until we start really. Talking about it. So either I need a different title in my future or [00:02:00] this subject through this podcast I'm sure will just ripple through to the point where everyone will get the importance.
But today I wanna give you a little intro as to why I've seen it be so powerful for myself, but for other people that weve worked with in other companies. And maybe there's something that you can, uh, use. On your way, whether you're a CEO or whether you are, uh, just starting out in your career. It's a really valuable tool and it's fun.
So the kind of day that I learned the importance of story in my work was, gosh, about 20 years ago, I had to go. To the Department of Education to talk about the work that we did in one of our schools, and we had had a big grant through some federal funding for millions and millions of dollars at this school, and we had to come and report to a panel how we use that funding and why we should deserve to keep getting funded.
I was very nervous and I was prepared and prepared and prepared. I had all this [00:03:00] data. I looked at all the things we had done. I had done tons of research. I was a nervous wreck going into it 'cause I was, uh, probably 30 years old, never had done this kind of thing before. I felt like all these futures of these young people who we were helping was on the line, felt like our funding could be cut.
Really, the stakes were very high. I took my partner, uh, with me there, who was on the ground in the school working as well, and he, I said, can you come with me and we can do this together? And he had been in the school. He hadn't done the book research that I had done, but of course he had been living the real research.
So we go out to do this panel, and there's Harvard Business Schools there, and all these other four grantees who are much more qualified than me. You know, PhDs and so forth that are there. And I am ready to present. So my colleague gets up in front of the podium first. I'm standing right next to him, a little bit nervous about what he's gonna say because he [00:04:00] hasn't seen all the data that I've worked on and all the research that I've done.
And he says, I'm gonna quote Maya Angelou when I say that. People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Now I was when he started this going, oh God, we're in front of a very serious room. What is he doing? Meanwhile, he finishes the quote with people will never forget how you made them feel.
And all of these professors and bureaucrats and federal panelists went like this, oh, and applauded. And I just remember looking around the room and taking a sigh of relief and going, okay, I guess he is got this. And then he started with a beautiful story of transformation. About one of the students, one of the hundreds of students that we've served.
He started with one and he told them about this story of transformation and what our [00:05:00] program had done. And literally by the end, I think I had two minutes to give them the data and that was enough. And they refunded our program completely. And on that day, I'll never forget it because. Sure the research and the data was important, but that story and the way that he started changed the entire tone of the day because we were second to last and every single person started with their research, started with their data, right?
So since then I've taken many story classes, uh, including with Jennifer Ker, who's a. Genius in this area, um, at Stanford Business School. And some of the things that I learned from her are that story, the reason why we need to focus on story is that it's 22 times more effective than data alone. And as she taught me, she, and she says it all the time, it's not that you don't use data, you just use it after the story.
Just like in the example that I gave that he hooked them with a quote, he then. [00:06:00] Really got them with the story, and then I was able to follow up with some data when they were listening because the story engages the brain and creates a chemical reaction. Our brains are wired to remember stories. It goes back to even the times.
You can see in caveman and cave woman days. The first things. That were told. The way that people were told to be nervous about something, to be scared was stories that were painted on the side of caves and then the stories that were told around the fires and so forth. And so we are made to remember stories and so they engage us in a different way.
A lot of times, we'll start with this, some people will say, well, how do I start with this? Or, why does it affect this? Or, like I said, we're a very serious company. We use data. We need more facts. Yes, I say. Absolutely. You need facts and data. Just start with a simple story and the story can take three minutes max.
If you're really good, it can take two minutes. If you really have them hooked and they love and they're engaged in the story, and the [00:07:00] story is gonna define like maybe your whole offsite, then maybe you take longer to set that up if you're really good at it. But basically what happens is when you're telling the story, there are these mirror neurons that are going on between you and the people you're telling the story with, and they listen to this story like it's theirs.
So it's the second most powerful tool to them. Actually having the experience and learning as we know that we learn best when we experience it ourselves. But the second best thing is when we hear someone tell a story about it, that really engages us, right? We get, if there's conflict or the stakes are really high, we have a mini cortisol release in the brain that grabs your attention and memory because cortisol is a stress hormone, and it's like, pay attention.
Pay attention, pay attention. So if you want your employees or you want your clients, or you want. Potential clients to really listen to what you have to say. That little cortisol boost that they get makes them absolutely key in. [00:08:00] So in my example, we had had all these other people, we were second to last in presenting.
All these people go through wonderful data and research that they had, but the brains were kind of at rest. They were thinking they were, you know, observing. But it was, it was different than when my colleague started. They immediately. Lean forward, right? They were like, oh, this is different. I have to pay attention to this.
Right? And they were invested in the story. That he told of that student and that student's transformation. And you are also getting a dopamine hit at the same time, which is this emotionally charged event that actually creates kind of pleasurable hormones in the body. And that also can make you recall things better and and so forth.
So it's really positive. And sometimes people say to me, well, how do we start this with our employees? And sometimes we just do, depending on who you're working with, we just. Do a whip around. Sometimes at the beginning of meetings where you have a little bit of time or you're really wanting to focus on story, one of the things that we do is we just tell the story of your name.
And so we have everybody go around [00:09:00] and say, what's a story about your name? How did you get your name? Or is it something that your aunt, uh, nicknamed you that you go by now? I have a friend who's Cuban and her name is Ingrid, and we're always like, how does a Cuban. Girl, get an Ingrid as a name. And meanwhile I have a sister who's also named Ingrid, and they were both named after Ingrid Bergman because their both parents were huge fans of her.
So she talks about growing up Cuban with a name like Ingrid. And so all of these things create a story that you remember those people and you have a fondness for them. And it can be any along the way. And so that's just a simple way to start to get people more interested in understanding of like, why does story work?
That helps actually just create teams. So it doesn't have to be that you're just using story in business for clients or to get sales, although that's probably the most popular use of story, or to convince a panel or to go talk about your doctoral thesis. Important popular [00:10:00] ways, but also it can be around using story to create team and build teams within your own staff.
The four elements of a good story, and these come from Jennifer Ker at Stanford, is she says, you have to have a goal. So is the meaning of the story clear? Does the story have a goal? Do you know why you're telling the story? It's not just storytelling for storytelling's sake. Uh, the hook is the story intriguing.
Did the, did it grab your attention? In my story, he used that quote to grab their attention, right? It was different. Everybody else had gone up there and said, this is what our project is about. This is the data that we have to support why you should keep funding it. Instead, he. Took space and said, Maya Angelou said, people will forget.
And people were immediately like, whoa, this is different. Right? Next one is engagement. So you have to make sure the story is authentic, that it's not made up, that it's compelling. And then finally, the part that everybody usually forgets, which is why a lot of businesses don't wanna take time to really invest in their people becoming better storytellers, is that there has to be some sort of [00:11:00] call to action.
So is the story involving, does the audience know what to do, think, or feel? As a result of the story, right? So when he told that story, in my case, he was really wanting them to refund our program. You are gonna be so invested in the story of this kid, and then Christine's gonna come in with some data in the last couple minutes and you're gonna go, okay.
That data supports me in feeling like, okay, this, I'm not just taking a risk. That data helps me feel more secure with my decision, but that story made me make this decision. And so we think that the data makes us make our decisions, but it's actually the emotions that make our decisions. And the data just makes us feel better about our decisions.
And so that's why you pairing the two can be so valuable. But you absolutely wanna start with the story first because the emotional impact is what actually gets your attention and makes you make the decision before data. That helps that prefrontal cortex know how to do [00:12:00] it. Another way to start, you can just do what we call six word stories, which is oftentimes attributed to Hemingway, but is not.
They think now probably had nothing to do with Hemingway at all, which there is that famous story that he had, which was, um, baby Shoes for Sale, never Worn. That's the most famous six word story that exists. I know it's kind of sad, but you can have six word stories for anything, and it's a really good way to get your teams and yourself.
To key in on what's the most important part of a story. So oftentimes I'll have people practice this, and even for myself, I'll try to practice, can I tell my story in six words? And then once I can get it down to six words, then I can elaborate on it. I try to, 'cause I'm such a dork, I try to practice these six word stories all the time.
Even if I go to a birthday party for a friend. As a little gift on her card, I'll write a six word story for her. It's just a good practice to get into, can I get [00:13:00] conflict? Can I get resolution? Can I get a hook? All in those six words? I may not get a call to action, but I can at least get the beginning parts of it in those six word stories.
So sometimes that's a good way and there's tons of things on the, on the internet that can help you to practice writing six word stories, but it's just a. A little beginning to the process, and then once you can use story and you can time yourself, so you make sure that it's not taking up a large part of your presentation and you practice it, then I guarantee you that you're gonna start to see results.
You're gonna be nervous because it feels a little vulnerable. The part about being vulnerable in front of. Your staff or in front of a client or in front, front of a vendor or in front of a panel for the Department of Education. Any of it also makes it interesting. People are empathizing with you in that moment, and therefore they're paying more attention, which is what you want.
In a world where it is impossible to get attention these days. Story is such an easy. Way to [00:14:00] do it. And we all have the power. It just takes up practice. We get better with practice. Think about in your own family, in your own friends, who are the best storytellers, and start to watch what are they doing, listen to what are they doing to make those stories so great.
There's usually a good balance of humor. There's sometimes, uh, stakes are high. What are those things? And can I start to think about those stories, what stories I have to share? With other people. So in business, I tell people to keep a, a little journal that they just write down things that happen or things that they notice.
Maybe it's how your product relates to folks. Maybe it's a testimonial story of somebody. Maybe it's, um, an amalgam of a bunch of people you've. Put into one story. You don't wanna make it up and have it be false, but you can take some leeways with things for sake of time and so forth. But you wanna just keep a journal so that you have those things.
And a lot of people do it. A lot of people, young people I work with, do it in their phones. Some people have it in an old fashioned notebook, whatever it [00:15:00] is that you just, you don't have to write the whole story, but just a note to help you mind you like, oh, this would be good someday to bring up. And then the lastly, I would just say to challenge yourself in moments, especially first if you're starting off.
Can I try a story here? So now if I ever have to do something in front of my staff, I always think, you know, okay, I'm gonna give data about the company, or I'm going to give an executive update to my board, or whatever it is that you're gonna do. Think first, like, okay, can I challenge myself to tell a short story at the beginning of this too?
Get them invested more into whatever the theme is or what I want them to do as a result of this day, or this. Speech or this moment in time, and I kind of challenged myself to think of it ahead of time. In the beginning I wrote it out. I typed it out so that I knew how long it was. But as you get better at it, you'll just have some like bullet points as to how to do it.
But first I would say just start giving it a try yourself. And if you start to have good results, then start to open that up to your staff a little bit [00:16:00] with these mini little lessons you can do with them, and it'll be fun. Thank you for listening today, and we'll have more episodes in the future on how to use stories with different audiences.
Take care.